Clover Dodder vs Zorro rojo

Cuscuta epithymum compared with Vulpes vulpes

Key Differences

Clover Dodder is Endangered while Zorro rojo is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Dodder	Zorro rojo
Kingdom	Plantae (planta)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Cuscuta	Vulpes (Foxes)
Species	Cuscuta epithymum	Vulpes vulpes

Conservation Status

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

Zorro rojo

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Dodder	Zorro rojo
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	5 years
Average Length	—	70 cm
Average Weight	—	6.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Dodder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Zorro rojo

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus, Israel), Europe (8 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina).

Clover Dodder

Clover dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) is a parasitic flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, a leafless, twining vine that obtains all its water and nutrients from host plants via haustoria — specialized penetrating organs that connect to host vascular tissue. The species is almost entirely dependent on its hosts throughout its life, with only brief photosynthetic activity during germination before establishing parasitic connections. C. epithymum parasitizes a wide range of host species including clover (Trifolium), gorse (Ulex), heathers (Erica, Calluna), thyme (Thymus), and other plants in open heathland, grassland, and scrub habitats. The stems are thread-like, yellowish-pink or reddish, and support clusters of small white to pale pink flowers. Originally widespread across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, the species has declined significantly in many parts of its range due to agricultural intensification, herbicide application, grassland conversion, and loss of semi-natural heathlands. It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population decline across its European core range. Conservation of C. epithymum requires the maintenance of unimproved, low-nutrient grasslands and heathlands that support its diverse host plant communities. The species is recorded from Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, though populations in some regions represent introductions associated with contaminated legume seed lots.

Zorro rojo

El zorro rojo (Vulpes vulpes) es el carnivoro salvaje mas ampliamente distribuido de la Tierra. Ha colonizado habitats que van desde la tundra artica hasta entornos urbanos en todo el hemisferio norte y en zonas donde fue introducido en Australia. Se reconoce por su pelaje rojizo, el vientre blanco y la espesa cola. Omnivoro altamente adaptable, el zorro rojo come de todo, desde conejos y ratones de campo hasta frutos y desperdicios humanos. Se comunica con mas de 40 vocalizaciones distintas.